How to turn mud into gold

While regular marathons have become ubiquitous in China, athletes and organizers crave more exciting and innovative ways to promote the cities that host races.

One of the more stylish variations is the X-Mudder obstacle race, which on Saturday featured 2,000 competitors plodding, splashing, climbing and crawling through a muddy "battlefield" for 500,000 yuan ($72,000) prize money at picturesque Puzhehei scenic area in Qiubei county of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province.

The area boasts clusters of limestone peaks, karst caves and natural lakes.